The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports five people were arrested this week, as of Thursday. Four of those arrested were taken into custody on warrants. They include: 25-year old Alan Wayne Shomaker, of Council Bluffs, who was wanted for Failure to Appear in Court (Bond $25,000); 43-year old Douglas Allen Hastie, of Glenwood, for Driving While Barred (Bond $2,000); 38-year old Michelle Marie Arellano, of Glenwood, was arrested on a warrant for OWI/1st offense (Bond $1,000), and 61-year old George Russell Synacek, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on a warrant for Violation of Probation (Bond $2,000).

Also arrested in Mills County, was 28-year old Aaron Wade Opdyke, of Emerson, who was taken into custody Wednesday for three counts of Harassment in the 1st Degree. His bond was set at $6,000.

Officers with the Red Oak Police Department, Thursday evening, arrested 45-year old Timothy Ray Bressler, of Red Oak, on drug charges. Bressler was taken into custody just before 6-p.m. and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was being held in the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center on a $1,000 cash bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has appointed a district associated judge to fill a vacant district court judgeship. Adria Kester, of Ogden, will fill the seat formerly held by Judge Gary L. McMinimee, of Carroll.

Kester will be the first woman district court judge for Iowa Judicial District 2B, which covers much of central and northern Iowa. Kester received her law degree from Drake University and earned her undergraduate degree from Iowa State University. She currently serves as a district associate judge in Judicial District 2B.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Corrects said Thursday (today), that a man serving time for robbery and burglary convictions out of Pottawattamie County, allegedly assault a staff member at the Newton Correction Facility, Wednesday morning. Authorities identified the offender as John Doyle Watson, whose sentence began Feb.7th, 2014.

The incident happened at around 9-a.m.  Another offender initially arrived on the scene to assist the staff member, followed immediately by corrections staff who were nearby. The staff member was seen by health services at the prison, then was taken to the local hospital, and is now released.

Watson is serving time for robbery and burglary from Pottawattamie County.  His sentence began on February 7, 2014.

An accident involving a UTV in Atlantic Thursday afternoon resulted in one person being transported to the hospital. Atlantic Police Lt. Paul Wood told KJAN News the driver of the vehicle was traveling south on Mulberry at the intersection with 10th Street and failed to stop at the stop sign. He struck some guys wires to a utility pole on the south side of 10th Street, causing the 4-wheel machine to flip and land on a residential driveway. The driver was ejected from the machine and transported to the hospital. According to reports, he was later flown by helicopter to an Omaha hospital. Witnesses told police the man was traveling faster than the posted speed limit prior to the crash.

The accident, which happened a little before 5-p.m., remains under investigation. No other information, including the man’s name, was immediately available.

photo by KJAN News Director Ric Hanson